The best craft beer haunts in Germany

On March 19, 2017March 21, 2017 By ourhoppytravelsIn Europe4 Comments

Prost to the much-awaited craft beer revolution in Germany!

The Craft Beer Revolution kicked off later than one might have expected in the fatherland of beers. This is understandable though; one does not go messing around willy-nilly with a country’s national beverage, whose purity has been legally defined by its people, over 500 years ago. Certainly not to satisfy the whims of hipsters. One can taste the stubbornness of tradition in the lagers and weizens brewed by these bearded old brew-masters who look like they personally tapped the barrel back when Julius Caesar stopped by for a pint. Now though, a silent revolution is fermenting in hidden little pockets of Deutschland, which aspires to bring down that psychological wall which has kept out those sacrilegious experimentation that neighbors like Belgium embraced generations ago. We have been seeking out such places and here are some of those craft beer haunts in Germany we think are worth a visit.

Craft Beer Corner, Cologne

If you are a craft beer enthusiast looking for good craft beers in Germany, we assure you, you will feel like you’ve finally come home at Craft Beer Corner Coeln. And, if you’re an IPA lover, you’ve hit the jackpot as these guys have a horde of great IPAs! Craft Beer Corner is one of the best places for craft beer in Germany. They not only have an amazing collection of craft beers on tap but also a great collection of bottled beers. What’s even more cool is that you not only get to drink craft beers from Germany but also craft beers from all over the world! You can get pretty comfortable here never wanting to leave!

Our recommendations – We loved ALL of their beers but loved Crew Republic’s Drunken Sailor IPA and Pizza Port’s Today was a good day IPA best.

Brauerei Schlössle, Neu Ulm

The Schlössle (pronounced Schloessle) brewery in New Ulm, Bavaria (just across the Danube river from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg) is one of our cherished finds from our craft beer hunt in Germany. It was the first place we drank German craft beer and were quite pleased to finally see Germany warming up to the craft beer culture. Schlössle brews some pretty neat hoppy ales – the High Five Hop and Orange Summit are our favorites. Although not one of our favorite German IPAs, their Strong Jack IPA is quite unique with its rye and wheat malts and worth a try. Their Tripel and Chocolate Porter are pretty good beers as well. Schloessle is one of those traditional German brewhouses where the interiors have a certain old-world homely charm to it and where you can get your fill of lip-smacking local delicacies. It’s well worth a visit not only for the beer but also for a true Bavarian experience.

Our recommendations: High Five Hop and Orange Summit

Schwanen Brauerei, Ehingen

Schwanen brewery is in the little south German town of Ehingen, popularly known as the ‘beer culture’ city. Ehingen has 4 breweries including Schwanen and all of these brew the traditional style of German beers. Schwanen however has a great collection of ales and stouts from some popular German craft breweries like Camba, Braufactum and Riegele. Camba is possibly one of our most favorite craft breweries in Germany. They have a huge variety of craft beers and every one of their beers that we have tried have been absolutely kick-ass. They have quite a selection of IPAs, pale ales, and oak-aged beers.

Our recommendations: Camba’s Imperial IPA, Braufactum’s Palor (APA), and Riegele’s Simco3 (APA).

Café Henry, Ulm

Cafe Henry used to be a typical cafe until some time late 2016 when they started serving craft beers. During one of our regular visits to the cafe to grab a quick bite and a beer, we saw that they had a separate craft beer menu. The quick stopover turned into a long night of celebrating our discovery. It had not been the easiest living in a little German town as craft beer enthusiasts – craft beers here are a rarity and we usually are scouting the Internet to find the nearest city with some hoppy ales. So, you can imagine our insane excitement at finding this craft beer menu in the most unexpected of places. Aaanyways, if you happen to be in Ulm or at a Cafe Henry elsewhere in Germany, be sure to check out their craft beer menu. They have ales from popular German breweries like Camba and Insel Brauerei and also ales from some of America’s best craft breweries like Stone, Brew Dog, Sierra Nevada, and Brookyln.

Our recommendations: Stone IPA, Camba’s Imperial IPA, Brewdog Punk IPA, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Braustelle, Cologne

Braustelle is a microbrewery in Cologne with a fine collection of ales and stouts. There are craft beer bars like Craft Beer Corner Coeln but Braustelle is possibly the only craft brewery that we could find within the city limits. It seemed to be a popular local hangout. It’s a small place and gets filled up fairly quickly so it’s best to get here early or make a reservation. They also run regular brewery tours for beer enthusiasts so you’ll see the brewmaster hopping about. They brew some pretty unique stuff and of course they have a Kölsch (typical German Pils that has a name of its own in Cologne) on their menu. They call it Helios and it’s one of the good Kölschs in Cologne.

Our recommendations: Kraftstoff Pale Ale MP’s classic and Helios

Urban Monk, Ulm

Urban Monk is Ulm’s only craft brewery at the moment. They are fairly new and are still experimenting with their beer styles. Their collection includes a few ales and a porter. While we have tried them all and feel that their beers still need some work, we do find their ales promising. They have partnered with Barfüßer, a traditional German brewery located in both Ulm and Neu Ulm. Head over to Barfüßer if you’d like to try Urban Monk’s beers.

Our recommendations: Sunshine Ale

(Watch this space for more as we discover more of Germany’s craft beer haunts!)

Ehingen – a little gem in south Germany

On March 17, 2017April 10, 2017 By ourhoppytravelsIn EuropeLeave a comment

When a city is a called a ‘beer culture’ city, it of course piques our interest.

We are always on the look-out for German craft beer and it’s not too common especially in the neck of the woods where we live, in south Germany (yes, where Munich, the land of great beer and Oktoberfest is). If you are a craft beer fanatic, you’ll know what it is to crave beyond the traditional German Pils and Weizen (which is your dominating beer of choice in the Oktoberfest by the way). Anyways, during one such hunt, we chanced upon this ‘beer culture’ city called Ehingen and were thrilled to see that one of their breweries had a great craft beer collection and the city was just a 30 minute drive from Ulm (where we live). Ecstatic, we made plans to visit the place.

It’s surprising how late-risers like us can rise and shine quite early when there’s a good pint of beer beckoning. It was a beautiful sunny day with blue skies and green fields. Spring is almost here; the temperatures are getting higher but the trees are still barren and we were pleasantly surprised to see the lush green meadows.

We had the most wonderful short drive to Ehingen – we passed by gorgeous little forests with the Danube river playing hide and seek every few kilometers. We saw a bunch of deer running (Steve didn’t believe me and said it must have been foxes and in just a few meters we saw a sign board indicating deer in the area. Ha!). It was unexpected as we usually find plenty of cows, sheep and horses grazing but never deer, not so close to the expressways. There was also a splendid Christmas tree farm along our route and it was fun to see the teeny weeny Christmas plants sprouting.

In no time, we were in Ehingen parking our car (we parked at the Tiefgaragen Lindenplatz Parkplatz 2 – very accessible to the town square and it’s free of charge on the weekends). We walked up to the Marktplatz (city center) in just a couple of minutes (it’s a small town). It was market day in the town square and they had little stalls selling a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, and some local beer and snacks too.

Saturday (farmers) market in the town square

The market day happens every Saturday in every little to big German city – it is basically a farmers market. We still haven’t made it to the one in Ulm and it was good to finally see one of these.

The market square features a fountain with some interesting characters.

Care for a drink from the frog prince’s crown?

On the other side of the marktplatz is the Rathaus (town hall).

We then headed over to the Schwanen Brauerei, one of the 4 breweries in the city. The Berg brewery seems to be quite a reputed brewery especially in this region but if you’re into ales and craft beers, you should head over to the Schwanen brewery. These guys as well have a good collection of traditional brews but we were there just for their craft beer collection – the Schwanen guys don’t brew any craft beers themselves but have a great collection of kick-ass ales from some of the well-known German craft breweries. Our favorites include Camba, Braufactum and Riegele. We’d not had Braufactum before and we thoroughly enjoyed their hoppy pale ales. We had a mighty crate of beers hitching a ride back home with us!

If you are a craft beer drinker and you find yourself in the Baden Wurttemburg state of south Germany, you should make your way over to this brew-pub. If you’d like to explore all 4 breweries in Ehingen, check out the historical sights of the city, and don’t mind a good hike, you could opt for their Bierwanderweg (beer culture trekking). Or, if you’d rather hop on a large bike with friends or family for a short countryside tour enjoying your beer at the same time, you should check out the beer culture bike that Ehingen offers. The city is quite a popular stop for hiking and biking trips along the Danube river.

Our next stop was the St. Blasius Church. This small church is sheer beauty – the baroque style, the exceptional ceiling art, the unique paintings on its wall, the large courtyard – simply awe-inspiring. There are two other main churches (the Church of our lady and Sacred Heart church) and these three church spires dominate the Ehingen skyline.

St. Blasius also includes a lovely Grotto (cave-like shrine)

We spent the next hour exploring more of the sleepy little town. We passed by several half-timbered buildings which is a signature feature of small German towns.

You should visit the Stadtgarten which includes a little lake called Groggensee, a lovely play area for the kids, a large walking/cycling trail and some interesting art in the midst of all of this. What we loved the most is the little Schmiech river flowing through the park making the place magical.

Our last stop was the Schloss Mochental. It is a relatively new castle featuring modern works of art.

It is 10 or so kilometers away from the Marktplaz so we got our car out and drove there. If you are traveling by public transport, note that you’ve got a bit of a hike to get to this place but we can assure you that it’s worth the trip. They have some extraordinary contemporary art works on display and a pretty rad Basen (broom) museum.

This one would have taken some effort to make!

This was just one section of the broom museum – they had tons of all types of brooms and even an ancient vacuum cleaner on display on the other side

The views from the castle rooms are quite lovely as well – all in all it was a wonderful visit to the castle.

It was time to make our way back home. We left the little town with a big stash of beautiful memories as everlasting souvenirs.

It is sleepy little towns like Ehingen that make Germany the spectacular country that it is. Their half-timbered houses, their baroque churches, their old world charm, their fascinating culture, their little rivers and streams – this is where the magic of this beautiful country unfolds.

Füssen and Schwangau – a little piece of heaven

On March 2, 2017April 2, 2017 By ourhoppytravelsIn Europe8 Comments

Two little picturesque German towns surrounded by the mighty, stunning Alps.

There’s nothing like the Alps to fill you with child-like glee and make you squeal with delight at every little sight of them. We just cannot seem to get enough of them and have been very fortunate to see the extensive, breath-taking range of the German, Austrian and Swiss Alps.

Füssen and Schwangau are located in the midst of the Allgäu Alps – which extend across Bavaria in south Germany and Tyrol & Vorarlberg in Austria. The little town is about an hour from where we live (in Ulm). After an exhilarating drive, we arrived at our Scottish/Irish themed hotel where we had a fabulous night of whisky tasting. It had been so long since we had drunk good whiskies in this beer-famed land. We lost count of how many whiskies we’d had – each one better than the last. They had SUCH an amazing collection of whiskies from all around the world! This was our primary motivation to book this hotel of course. The hotel itself was quite nice – friendly staff and located very close to the Hopfen am see, one of the many lakes in the region.

The lake was frozen of course, considering the sub-zero temperatures we’d been having through January. And, in just a minute we were away from the hotel and on the lake, taking a walk on the ice sheets. We were just blown away by the beauty that surrounds this small town.

It was our first time walking on a frozen lake and we weren’t sure how far out we should venture especially considering there were some sizable cracks across the lake and we were the only souls on the lake!

We then headed over to the Tegelberg mountain in Schwangau. This was just a few kilometers out from Füssen. Tegelberg is known for its winter sports and you can find a whole bunch of people skiing including teeny kids. They all row up in their groups, all padded up and carrying their ski gear, looking super excited with no trace of fear – ah, they were such fun to watch!

img_6763-3 — Foothills of Tegelberg, Schwangau

We took the Tegelbergbahn or cable car up the mountain. It was a beautiful but somewhat suffocating a ride. The little cable car fills up nearly 45 people standing shoulder to shoulder with their noses almost touching the glass door! It was such a surreal experience compared to our cable car rides in Switzerland. But when we got out of the car, the views took over everything else. The Alps oh, the gorgeous alps .. they were everywhere.

We decide to hike up the snow-covered Telgelberg mountain to get to a higher point. It was a steep, slippery climb but with the prettiest views all along the way.

All we could feel was a deep sense of bliss and contentment

We make way for skiers, young and old.. we also make way for a dog, a cute labrador that climbed up the hill so effortlessly wagging its tail ever so cutely.

Huffing and puffing, we make it up to the top, and are rewarded with breath-taking views. And, excited to take a peek down the big mountain, I take a few steps dangerously close to the edge.. and I am washed over with the sweetest rush of fear and joy.

We just stand there in amazement with all the other guys that made the climb.. just soaking in all this wondrous beauty. After a bit, we make the descent. Going downhill is always tricky and going down a snow-trodden mountain is even more tricky.. keeping our balance and taking small careful steps, we make it down to the restaurant. We get some grub and beer and sit down to have our lunch by this gorgeous view.

Reluctantly, we make our way back to the cable car and down to Schwangau. We then drive over to Füssen.

6047296863419000886-account_id2 — Hello beautiful

Füssen is such a pretty little town. It is known for the Neuschwanstein castle which technically is actually in Schwangau.. People stay at Füssen when visiting the castle and are just rushing through to their next destination and barely explore this gem of a little city. Not only is it picturesque with the lovely Lech river flowing through and with the Alps in the background, it is rooted deep in history and tradition and was luckily untouched by the world war destruction.

IMG_6868 (2).JPG — Füssen has a little castle of its own – Hohes Schloss

We got to the Hohes Schloss / High Castle a little late and we couldn’t check out the inside but were able to walk around the inner courtyard and admire the unique art decor of the castle.

Courtyard of the Hohes Schloss – this unique artwork is replicated all over the little town

On the way to the castle is the Basilika St. Mang – the interiors and ceiling art of this abbey church is simply beautiful. And, they have the most embellished church organ I have ever seen. And we were in love with their cherub pulpit – so intricate and unique! Simply loved the church. Germany has some of the most beautiful churches.

1957416151462750671-account_id1 — Basilika St. Mang, Füssen

Not too far from the town is the Lech Falls. This is just the prettiest little falls ever in the midst of surreal alpine beauty. The gorgeous emerald waters of the Lech river fall down and flow around the city of Füssen.

We just walked around the area of the Lech Falls taking in all the beauty.. Slowly, we make our way back to the town centre – Altstadt.

img_6977-3 — Pretty little streets of Füssen lighting up as dusk approaches

We make a short stop to pick up some Schneeballs a delicious local pastry that has been around for 300 years or so! It’s available in a multitude of flavors and being coffee lovers, we went for one in a cappuccino flavor.

After a few more strolls around the little town and a couple of local beers, we arrive at the Schlossbrauhaus in Schwangau. The two little towns are just a few kilometers apart and we sure did some back and forth in this one day.

This seemed to be a popular brewery in this neck of the woods and they claimed to serve some craft beer as well. Now that definitely got our attention and we were excited to try out their beers. Unfortunately, we were quite disappointed in their so-called “craft beers” which were really just the traditional German Pils and Weizens. We don’t mind the traditional German beers especially the wheat beers but their beers were a disappointing version of the traditional beers even. That said, it wasn’t all wasted time as they served some finger-licking local food! And, they had some sort of a local event that day and there was a whole bunch of locals dressed as kings, queens, soldiers etc. and it was fun just watching these finely dressed people gather around a few beers. We were just minutes away from the famed Neuschwanstein castle and no wonder we had royalty flocking the bar.

If you’d like a good pint in the area, you should visit the Allgäuer Stüberl or Hotel Hirsch (both serve some delicious Bavarian brews and lip-smacking local food). Not being a huge fan of the Pils, we usually stick to the Weizens when it comes to traditional beer in Germany.

At the Allgäuer Stüberl

At the Hotel Hirsch

The next morning, we visited the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. So, to be honest, it was our last item on the things to do in Füssen. The Neuschwanstein is a pretty looking castle, inside out. But, the insane crowds that throng to it even during the coldest of winters and take a trip all the way here just to see the castle is beyond our understanding. Blame it on Walt Disney for making this “Sleeping Beauty” castle such an obsession with tourists visiting Germany. And no, this is not all that this beautiful country is about. Well, nevertheless, it is a beautiful castle with splendid architecture and is worth a visit if you’re in the area. And do take the short trek to the Marienbrücke, a little bridge not too far from the castle that offers a full view of the castle and some beautiful views of the surrounding area.

IMG_7372 (2) — View from the Marienbrücke

Note that visiting the castle has to be carefully planned. You simply cannot be late for your reserved time slot – if you do, you will not be allowed to enter at all. We reserved our tickets online (we took the king’s ticket) and skipped the long queues to purchase the tickets. We took an English guided tour; the guide was friendly and did a decent job of recounting the life of King Ludwig II (known as the mad king). King Ludwig led a fascinating although lonely life and died under mysterious circumstances. He was obsessed with castles and swans among other things. The Neuschwanstein (new swan stone) castle has lavish and beautiful interiors and the art that adorns the walls are spectacular. The castle tour itself felt way too short and rushed; well, it had to be this way so it could accommodate the crowds that visit the castle everyday.

Our guide for the Hohenschwangau castle was more impressive, giving us some interesting, humorous anecdotes of King Ludwig II and his family. The interiors of this castle is just as lovely, may not be as extravagant and rich in its decorations but quite exquisite nonetheless. The artwork and the Turkish inspired designs are admirable. The Hohenschwangau stands on the ruins of the old Schwanstein castle and the Neuschwanstein stands on the ruins of the original Hohenschwangau. They sure mixed the heck out of these castle names!

IMG_7037 (4).JPG — The new Hohenschwangau

The castles are close to the Alpsee which like the other lakes in the area was frozen. There were many more people out walking on this lake (some were even running and jumping) and this time around we ventured farther into the lake and had the most wonderful time.

IMG_7025 (2) — Headed to the Alps – one slow step at a time on the Alpsee

For us, the castles were definitely not the highlight of Füssen and Schwangau. They are worth a visit for sure but you’d be missing out on SO much if you do not check out the sights in and around Füssen.

IMG_7403 (2) — The dreamy Bavarian countryside where time stands still

Füssen and Schwangau are fairy tale towns even without the castles and we have some of our most cherished travel memories from these two little towns.

Belgium – there’s nothing like it

On March 2, 2017March 17, 2017 By ourhoppytravelsIn EuropeLeave a comment

Belgium is possibly our most favorite country. It has so much history, culture, art and each city is so wonderfully different from the other. And, it has SO much good beer! It is the holy land of beers after all and the delicious Belgian brews was our primary motivation to go on our beer pilgrimage to Belgium over the Christmas holidays.

Even if you’re not a beer lover, you will find Belgium incredibly fascinating. The buildings, the walls, the people, the culture, the food – will fill you with unbelievable joy. The Belgians are a class apart – they are quirky, bold, friendly, fun, and artistic. You will find both contemporary and medieval art in the cities of Belgium.They have deep regard for their history and struggles and yet do not hesitate to experiment and keep up with modern times. Belgium has a unique mix of culture and culinary delights owing to its French and Dutch influences.

There is something for everyone in this wonderful country – whether it is admiring art, learning about the history of comics, taking a peaceful canal ride, climbing up the bell tower for gorgeous views, walking past medieval buildings, visiting beautiful churches, indulging in mouth-watering food, or just drinking a well-brewed ale – you simply cannot get enough of this fantastic country. And, if you are visiting Belgium during Christmas, it makes it all even more special.

We spent a short 7 days in Belgium visiting Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges. And, this made for the most remarkable, joyful holiday, and the perfect end to a great year filling us with lots of inspiration and energy to ring in the new year.

Take a look at our Belgian journey.

[Click the image or link below to see what these cities are like.]

Brussels – where art and beer flow endlessly

6208601204309403147-account_id2 — Ghent – rustic and charming

[Bruges – post coming soon!]

Ghent – rustic and charming

On March 2, 2017March 17, 2017 By ourhoppytravelsIn EuropeLeave a comment

A medieval, little Belgian town filled with incredible history, art, and architecture.

When we were planning our visit to Belgium over the Christmas holidays, we knew we had to make time for Ghent (also known as Gent). It is less than an hour away from Brussels and is often overlooked for the neighboring, more popular Bruges. Bruges is of course simply amazing and we as well are absolutely in love with the city but Ghent is a Belgian gem you don’t want to miss if you are in Belgium and have a few hours to spare. The crowds are lesser, there is no insane queue to go up to the Belfry, and it has pretty canals too. While there are some striking similarities between Ghent and Bruges, they couldn’t be more different.

And, Ghent, like Antwerp is an architectural marvel, although in different styles. Antwerp being a much bigger city has mostly contemporary styles whereas Ghent is full of older, medieval buildings. But both cities, Bruges, most of Belgium, and parts of the Netherlands all have the same distinctive crow-stepped gable style.

We got to Ghent as early as we could (considering the late risers we are) and it was a short, pretty train ride. We passed by a bit of the Belgian countryside which is nice but not as mind-blowing as the Swiss countryside or even the German countryside but appealing nevertheless.

IMG_5880 (3).JPG — Gravensteen, medieval castle/fortress, Ghent

Our first stop was the Gravensteen or the Castle of the Counts. Much to our dismay, it was closed. Not sure why we were surprised considering it was the day of Christmas Eve. Although some of our plans are spontaneous, we are usually prepared at least in terms of checking out opening hours etc. but it was Christmas and let’s just say the Belgian beer and the Christmas spirit got the better of us. There were many others like us who went to the castle door, read the notice, and left disappointed. We felt bad that we’d missed it as it has a pretty cool torture chamber that we were intrigued about and wanted to see. But, we realized this would happen during our holiday as we were traveling during Christmas after all. Lifting our spirits, we headed over to the Belfry.

Like the famous Bruges Belfry, Ghent has its own Belfry too. What’s cool about the one in Ghent is that it has an elevator to take you up to the top so you don’t have to struggle like poor Ken (from the movie ‘In Bruges’) to climb up those winding stairs like you’d have to in Bruges. You can also get off the elevator at each level to check out their awesome bell collection and take a look at the intricate workings of the bell tower.

The first level is the secrecy room which as the name suggests served as a hiding ground for valuable records which were kept in heavy, chained trunks. This place also served as a hideout for some of the Germans during WW II.

IMG_5889 (2).JPG — The Keepers of the Belfort, guarding the tower since 1339

The construction of the Belfry is said to have started in 1313 and finished in 1380, when the first dragon was placed atop the tower. A few centuries later, the dragon was made to spit fire during big events – ah, this would have been a pretty cool spectacle. Many a dragon went on the tower and were brought down weather-beaten. You’ll find one of these former dragons at the second level.

IMG_5893 (4).JPG — Dragon in action at the Belfry, Gent

Also, at the second level is the Roland bell – the rockstar bell of the Ghent Belfry, which was installed originally as an alarm bell and then became an hourly bell. This bell kept the show going until the carillon (a musical instrument comprising of multiple bells to produce a melody) was built in the 17th century. The original Roland was melted to be used as bell metal for the new carillon. A new Roland came about soon after.

img_5911-2 — This is the third Roland from 1948 weighing 6200 kilograms!

In the next level, you’ll find many of the older bells of the Belfry – they range from little bells to massive heavy-lifters.

In the same level, just a few steps higher, you will find this antique music box with 17600 holes in it!!

img_5916-2 — This copper drum dates back to 1659 and is still being used today to play 54 bells

IMG_5919 (2).JPG — The parent clockwork which is connected to the drum and moves it every 15 minutes

The bells sound for about 5 minutes and the entire mechanism is fascinating to watch. You can go up one more level to the see the actual bell room with all the 54 bells in action with the hammers pounding on them as the levers attached to the drum below are moving. It’s quite a riveting show! The Belfry not only served as a bell tower to announce the time and issue warnings of imminent danger but also served as a watchtower keeping an eye out for approaching enemies and offering some great views of the city.

IMG_5920 (2).JPG — The St. Nicholas Church fills up the view

IMG_5932 (3).JPG — Gent city view from the Belfry

We then headed on to the St Bavo’s Cathedral or Sint-Baafs Cathedral.

dsc_1188-2 — View of St.Bavo’s Cathedral from the Belfry

The cathedral is most renowned for its 15th century altarpiece – the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb – a masterpiece from the Van Eyck brothers. It’s amazing that the painting survived all those fires, wars, and thefts and it felt wonderful to be able to admire this brilliant piece of work. The piece has 12 front panels and each of them has a religious significance. The painting is a polyptych and has a beautiful closed view of the back panels as well. You cannot take any pictures of the original piece however you will find a smaller copy further down the cathedral.

DSC_1209 (2).JPG — A smaller copy of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

The interiors of the gothic cathedral are were quite impressive as well displaying other art works including one of Peter Paul Rubens. We had seen some of his stunning work already in Antwerp and he definitely seemed to be revered in the Flemish region.

img_5951-4 — A unique, modern representation of the birth of Christ

Now all this excitement had gotten us very thirsty and it was time to make a beer-stop. The Christmas market was still open and in spite of it being the eve of Christmas, both locals and tourists flocked the stalls.

La Chouffe Golden Ale

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel

Boy, were we pleased to see the beers in the Christmas market! Only in Belgium did we find awesome beer in the Christmas markets. It was so good to drink La Chouffe on tap. So fresh and bursting with flavor! And since it is so close to Bruges, we had some of the local Brugge beers too. We had still not visited Bruges – we’d been saving the best of Belgium for the last.. and we knew we just had to get there soon. Steve had visited Bruges before; he’d had the beers and had already set high expectations for me and I was pleased with the little I’d had in Gent. Gent has some lovely local breweries and beer bars.. we had time to visit just one as most of them were either closed or soon closing. Luckily the Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant was still open but just for a bit. It’s located right in the city centre with the backdrop of the canals for a view and has a great collection of Belgian brews. Being Christmas eve and all, they were shutting down early and we had time for just one beer. If you do have time, you should also check out the t’Dreupelkot which is located right next door and the Gruut Brewery (these guys brew their beers with herbs instead of hops and being hop lovers, this one majorly piqued our curiosity but we have to wait for our next trip to Ghent to explore this one).

Yet another beer from Bruges – this one was a decent tripel

We spent the next hour or so just walking around the city, taking in its beauty and indulging in some local bites.

Looked like a fun ride – it went all the way up to the top of the tree – too bad it was only for kids 🙂

img_5960-3 — View of the St. Nicholas Church, Belfry, and St. Bavos Cathedral from the **St. Michael’s Bridge**

2520751827192187452-account_id2 — The purple noses of Ghent or the **Gentse neus** – these Belgian cone-shaped candies filled with raspberry liquid are simply delicious!

Our final stop was the Graslei and Korenlei. This was the most loved and popular spot in Ghent. With its historical buildings, quaint little cafes, and people kayaking down the Leie river – Graslei and Korenlei have a delightful rustic, romantic charm to it.

IMG_5991 (4).JPG — Graslei view as dusk approaches

Some of the buildings in the Graslei date back several centuries and have been heavily renovated over the years. This place would surely be a different scene in summer – sprawling with people on the riverbanks.

We look forward to going back to Ghent in summer. We just could not get enough of this charming little city – a day is just too short a time to explore this incredible, historic Belgian city.

And, yet, sometimes in just a day, you experience so much beauty that you are filled with a deep sense of gratitude and contentment for all that life brings your way.